West African ancestry map
West African (Yoruba) · West Africa (modern reference)
How to read these maps: pale yellow means little or none of the selected ancestry, orange a medium share and deep red the highest values. Each dot is the average of a modern population: hover or tap it to see its numbers. Areas with no samples nearby stay blank.
West African (Yoruba)
West Africa (modern reference)
Faded dots are populations the model fits less well: read their values with care. Click the map to zoom with your mouse wheel.
Why the Yoruba are used for West African ancestry
The Yoruba are one of the largest peoples of West Africa, with tens of millions of speakers in southwestern Nigeria and neighbouring Benin and Togo. Their historic city-states, such as Ife and Oyo, were major centres of art and trade.
A Yoruba sample from Ibadan was one of the first reference populations of the international HapMap and 1000 Genomes projects, so Yoruba DNA has become the standard reference for West African ancestry in genetics. This map uses it as a modern proxy, because ancient DNA from the forest belt of West Africa is still very scarce.
Ancestry of this kind is shared widely across West and Central Africa, a region close to where the Bantu expansion began. The transatlantic slave trade carried it across the ocean, so it is a large part of the heritage of African Americans, Afro-Caribbeans and Afro-Latin Americans today.
In our model, West African (Yoruba-like) ancestry peaks today in Esan (Nigeria), at 100.0%, followed by Yoruba Nigeria (100.0%) and Igbo (Nigeria) (97.8%). The ten highest values come from Nigeria, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Mali and other countries. It reaches at least 5% in 174 of the 1,998 populations on the map, and at least 20% in 105 of them. On the world scale the colours run from 0 to 80.1%, the level reached by the top 2% of populations, so the deepest red marks the real hot spots.
Where West African (Yoruba-like) ancestry peaks today
| # | Population | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Esan Nigeria | 100.0% |
| 2 | Yoruba Nigeria Nigeria | 100.0% |
| 3 | Igbo Nigeria | 97.8% |
| 4 | Kassena Ghana Ghana | 96.4% |
| 5 | Frafra Nankam Ghana | 96.0% |
| 6 | Mossi Burkina Faso | 95.3% |
| 7 | Dogon Mali | 93.1% |
| 8 | Mende Sierra Leone Sierra Leone | 91.4% |
| 9 | Mbo Cameroon | 90.4% |
| 10 | Cameroonian Bafut Cameroon | 90.1% |
Averages of modern populations, modelled with 17 reference sources. Tap a name to find it on the map.
The 17 ancestral sources
About these numbers
These maps show model estimates for population averages, not ethnic labels and not the result of any one person. Each source stands in for a wider ancestral population, and ancestries that have no source of their own in this set, such as Oceanian or Khoe-San ancestry, are absorbed by their closest relatives among the 17. Populations the model fits less well are shown with faded dots and count less in the colour surface.
Method: Each population average (Global25 coordinates) is modelled as a mix of 17 ancient and modern reference groups with non-negative least squares, shares adding up to 100%. Fit is the distance between the population and its best mix: the lower the better, above 0.06 the mix explains the population poorly. Top lists leave out the few populations these 17 groups cannot model at all (fit above 0.15). Data generated 1 October 2026, 1,998 populations on the map.
Keep exploring
For the full picture of one population, the Population Genetics Atlas has a page for each of hundreds of modern populations, with its ancient make-up and its closest modern and ancient neighbours.
Curious about your own DNA? The free Report Finder tests which of our reports fits your G25 coordinates, before you order anything.
Frequently asked questions
Why are modern Yoruba used instead of ancient West Africans?
Ancient DNA preserves badly in the hot, humid forest belt of West Africa, so very few ancient genomes exist from the region. The Yoruba are a large, well-studied population and a standard reference for West African ancestry in genetics.
Where is West African (Yoruba-like) ancestry highest today?
In our model it is highest in Esan (Nigeria) (100.0%), Yoruba Nigeria (100.0%) and Igbo (Nigeria) (97.8%). These are averages of modern populations modelled with 17 reference sources, so individuals within each population can differ.
How are these ancient ancestry maps made?
Each modern population average, taken from published G25 coordinates, is modelled as a mix of the same 17 ancient and modern reference sources with a non-negative least-squares fit, the same family of method our reports use. The map then interpolates the share of the selected source between the sampled places and leaves areas with no nearby samples blank.
Does a high value mean direct descent from these people?
No. Each source stands in for a broader ancestral population, and the 17 sources are fitted together, so closely related sources can trade shares between them. Read a value as how much of this kind of ancestry the model needs to describe a population average, not as a family tree.
Why are some areas of the map blank?
The colour surface is only drawn within a few hundred kilometres of real samples. Oceans and regions without data stay empty instead of showing invented values. Each dot on the map is a real population average.